Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Friday, September 9, 2016
Bag Ban: A Wealth Transfer from Customers to Big Grocers
By NCPA @ 5:32 AM :: 6391 Views :: Environment, Taxes

California’s Bag Ban: A Wealth Transfer from Customers to Big Grocers

by Pamela Villareal, NCPA, September 7, 2016 (excerpts)

…Surprisingly, the California Grocers Association joined with environmental groups lobbying for a statewide ban on plastic bags.

The reason?

The grocers would keep the 10-cent fee per paper bag charged to customers as pure profit — minus the cost of purchasing paper or reusable plastic bags, estimated at 5 cents to 7 cents per bag. None of the fee revenue is remitted to the state, nor is the grocer required to prove that the fees are used for recycling efforts and education.

According to a 2014 study from Blue Sky Consulting, grocers stand to profit handsomely from a statewide ban, depending on consumer behavior. Approximately one-third of California residents live in jurisdictions that already have plastic bag bans similar to SB 270. However, grocers would generate new revenue from selling paper bags or reusable plastic bags to the remaining two-thirds of California residents.

Studying the effects of existing bag bans on San Jose, Santa Monica and the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, researchers found:

• Disposable paper bags had a 3 percent market share before the ban in those three jurisdictions, and a 16 percent market share after the ban.

• Reusable bags had a 5 percent market share before the ban and a 45 percent market share afterward.

• If a similar change in market share occurred across the state after the plastic bag ban, retailers could gain an estimated $442 million in annual revenue from the sale of paper bags and reusable bags.

The grocer’s net revenue, after the purchase of reusable and paper bags, is free of state taxes, since the profits derived from the fees are considered reimbursements for compliance costs….

• In an August 2016 poll by Probolsky Research, approximately 58 percent support Prop 67, the ban on single-use plastic bags [see the figure].

• However, 57 percent of voters also support Prop 65, requiring stores to “deposit bag sale proceeds into a special fund administered by the Wildlife Conservation Board to support specified categories of environmental projects.”

A Conundrum for Environmental Groups.

Now that voters will decide how the fee is spent, environmental supporters of the bag ban are — ironically — in a tizzy. They fear that eliminating this revenue source for grocery stores will turn grocers against the bag ban in California and other states. Never mind that — as an editorial from the East Bay Times puts it — the redirected fee “could supply millions of dollars for some of their pet causes.”

Conclusion.

The debate over California’s statewide plastic bag ban has shaped up to be a battle over the involuntary transfer of wealth from customers’ wallets to big grocers. Ultimately California voters will decide what they do with their money and how it should be spent (as should be the case), but other states considering bans similar to SB 270 should look at the impact of fleecing the average shopper to line the pockets of corporate and special interests….

read … Entire Report

Flashback:

 

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii Military History

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Together

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

July 4 in Hawaii

Land and Power in Hawaii

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii